Chemotherapy has significantly extended life
expectancy in myeloma, but it has resulted in a high incidence of
chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), which can be debilitating.
This study investigates the brains response to pain stimulation in patients
with CIPN using BOLD fMRI at 3T. 12 myeloma patients and 12 healthy
volunteers underwent heat-pain stimulation in a boxcar-design paradigm. The
BOLD response was evaluated using a general linear model. Painful stimuli to
the foot produced significantly greater thalamic response than thigh
stimulation in subjects with CIPN compared with healthy volunteers.